Red stars of spring

[DHEB]

Today we had some light snow. Yes, that happens in latitudes like these, no matter if flowers are already in bloom and it was +17 degrees C a week ago. The point is that the cold front cleared the sky and by 21 it was obvious that it will be a goood night.
A young son and me stopped playing monopoly and promptly setup our scope in the light polluted backyard. We enjoyed Jupiter and catched washed up views of some Messier objects (51, 65, 66 and 3). The young companion then left me alone due to cold and exhaustion.

I spent the rest of the night catching variable stars. Among them R Leo and Y CVn left me particularly impressed. Their red color is otherworldly. I have seen them before, but this night they were just fantastic. Perhaps the sky was particularly clean today, perhaps it was just me. Who knows? Nights like this are rare, and having the fortune of being able to watch the sky is perhaps sufficient reason to make our brains perceive colours in a more joyous way.

Hope you also enjoy clear skies (and redder stars too)!

Cheers